Scuffles broke out outside the Immigration Office in Valletta yesterday after some migrants waiting for an e-residence permit decided to jump the long queue.

Police had to be called to control the crowd that made a dash for it when the office doors opened.

“Some had slept outside in the cold overnight to be the first in. However, when the doors opened, some of them surged,” a policeman said.

Police officers were seen holding back and encouraging those in the line to move back.

“You are going to hurt yourself. You are going to hurt each other,” one officer said.

Arguments broke out and at least three men had to be restrained. By 8am, the building in Castille Place was already full of people lining the stairs to the second floor.

Outside, a few hundred more people braved the cold wind and rain, hoping to be called inside for their permits. The queue snaked down round the corner into St Ursula Street.

At 9am, after tempers had reached boiling point for the umpteenth time, department officials advised the police that they could send everyone waiting outside home because there were more than 60 people already inside.

The department usually processes 60 electronic residence permits each day.

A woman turned away for the second time in as many weeks complained about the situation.

“We are human beings and expect to be treated as such.

“I came in early at 6am last week but at 9am they closed the doors and told me to go home. I need this card; without it I will not be able to work,” she said.

Her feelings were echoed by another immigrant who said some of his friends had actually slept outside the office to get their permit.

“We miss a day’s work when we come here. This cannot continue. Why aren’t our problems being addressed?” he asked.

Readers called The Times over the past days to comment on the long winding queues, lack of shelter from the biting cold and fraying tempers.

Victor Cavallo from Sliema accompanied his invalid wife’s Filipino carer to the department on three occasions to obtain her residence permit.

“Three times we were there at 6am and three times we spent up to two hours queuing outside in the cold and rain. However, we never made it to the door. They only accept a limit of 60 people and turn away the rest,” he said.

“We need more civil servants. There seems to be too few staff to cope with the large turnout of people.”

The Department for Citizenship and Expatriate Affairs is responsible for issuing residence documents to foreigners living in Malta, including people who have been granted international or humanitarian protection.

Until recently, the documents were produced in vignette type format, which were affixed to the person’s travel document or, in the case of EU nationals, on a stand-alone card. Apart from the residence documents, it was mandatory for foreigners to also have an identity card.

Following a recent amendment in the law, residence documents now also double up as identification cards. The format was changed to an electronic plastic-type document containing biometric data.

According to the department’s director, Mariella Grech, an appointment system was launched on Monday to address the problem of long queues.

Applicants are now requested to schedule an appointment by sending an e-mail on eresidence.mfa@gov.mt or by calling on 2200 1800.

Once the appointment is secured, applicants can call at the department with the necessary documents listed on the form.

Those people who have been granted national or international protection can turn up on Friday mornings.